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Saturday, December 15, 2007

STOP THIS!!!

This story in The Observer (Guardian) has enraged all who have read it so far. We need to do something about this perverse form of child abuse. I am sure it's going on in many states in Nigeria but the situation in Akwa-Ibom is of the utmost urgency. There needs to be a way to stop these fake pastors from preaching such hateful messages that end in violence being inflicted on helpless children all in the name of promised prosperity. These ostracized children need to be cared for. The Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network (basically, the man and his wife who currently care for these kids) needs to be supported in their efforts. They are currently being supported by Stepping Stones Nigeria but this is not enough people. We need to draw the attention of Nigerians to this atrocity (among many others in the ND but the focus of this post is on these children who have been convicted on false charges (based on the prophecies of "pastors") of witchcraft and are being brutally assaulted on a growing scale). If anyone can (or knows someone who can) help us get in touch with the Governor/Deputy Governor, First Lady, or any government official of Akwa-Ibom state, please email us at info@theafrobeat.com or misan@theafrobeat.com. Any other ideas on how to stop this madness are more than welcome.

@ Shola, e tsewuntie o ((no be small ting) - i have never seen itsekiri written in my life so forgive the butchering!) Good luck in that your quest, and welcome to The Afro Beat!

@ Ms Emmotions, thanks o and merry christmas to you too! This thing rocked me to the core and we cannot sit around debating this one, there's nothing to debate. we need to take action.

I'm still waiting on a friend who can help us get in touch with the governor somehow. Meantime, I got this email from someone called Paul and I think we should take him up on it. I don't think I can come up with a webpage, but we can at least use the blog as the forum for this. Let me know what you guys think.

Hi, i'm Paul, i read in Naija blog of your wish to do something about the plight of the children accused of witchcraft in Akwa ibom.I do hope that you've had some success in contacting the relevant authorities in Nigeria. I think a good way of helping the kids is to have a web page with links to the video, the article and also have a web form on the same page with the email and postal address of the relevant Nigerian authorities,the churches concerned ,the christian association of Nigeria and the pentecostal fellowship of Nigeria. After viewing the video and reading the article, web surfers could then send letters of protest to the aforementioned authorities who would have to address the problem because of the deluge of complaint.

I will be interested if you or any other person know how to go about constructing the web page. The video is already on Youtube so the web page could just be linked to the video.

Paul's suggestion is a good one. But, you can simply use the Afro Beat as the home page or simply open a new blog dedicated to this issue.

Facebook is also a quick way to reach millions of people at once. NLH uses it for our initiatives. Simply create a group around the issue and invite your friends and their friends to view. Send them to the Youtube clips and encourage letters/emails to not just Nigerian orgs but int'l orgs as well.

This is a great thing you are doing Misan. But, me, I am not surprised because you are exactly the sort of person the world needs to become a better place.

Thanks a bunch Solo. Bitchy,Paul, myself and some other concerned folks are looking into putting up a webpage hosted on the afro beat server with this information Paul has suggested. We're still trying to find out more information about the players (the profiteering pastors, the names and contact info for local authorities on ground, and the pentecostal association or whatever body these churches belong to), so watch this space.

It makes me cry that we remain such a superstitious people. We traded one set of gods for another. The underlying fears and darkness remain unchanged and rear their ugliness in this and myriad other ways.

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The Afro Beat is a club/ forum/ virtual gathering place for individuals of Nigerian heritage or association, who (amongst other things) would like to do lotsa chatting and noise-making in the hopes of getting the sleeping giant to wake up!
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